development of highly regulated framework for control of asylum seekers;

entry for work, where needed, in tightly controlled circumstances;

institution of a sub-class of people devoid of rights;

putting many immigration decisions outside the UK;

concerns over terrorism;

increase of central government power.

The legislation produced by the New Labour government (see, eg, pp19-20) appears to be both draconian and petty minded, not to say downright nasty. Taking children into care, forced labour/community work. What was the discourse in government at the time?

We want to be re-elected, and the electorate are stupid xenephobes, so we must bring forward legislation they will like; or,

we (policy makers) are all stupid xenophobes, and we think that removing children from their parents and making people do forced work is appropriate in a society governed my the rule of law.

Because politicians who are more-or-less honest, (that is, not downright criminals) can only have 2 motives for their actions as legislators: (a) they perceive it as giving them electoral advantage; or, (b) they really do believe it's the right and proper thing to do.

Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004, described in House of Lords as "mean spirited and reactionary" (p21).

Language testing for spouses first proposed in 2006, (p22, unreferenced).

Skeletal plans in the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 for "probationary citizenship" were dropped in 2010.